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Dana Brand on...

Edgy DC Apr 13 2009 08:42 AM

Dana Brand on Mike Francesa: "We Mets fans have had to listen to this guy for longer than Eddie Kranepool played." A sobering point. But we don't have to. I just wish WFAN and SNY would count the potential of the number of people turned off by chest thumping and dung-flinging and program appropriately.

metirish Apr 13 2009 08:53 AM

I'm reading Brands blog where he talked about Francesa , Brand makes some good points about hope but he's putting way too much stock into what Francesa says about the Mets. http://danabrand.com/blog/2009/04/

bmfc1 Apr 13 2009 08:55 AM

Francesa is the Bill O'Reilly of sports talk radio. I don't mean that as a complement.

G-Fafif Apr 13 2009 08:55 AM

Nobody's forced to do nothin', but as a sports-following New Yorker, the FAN has a Lojack installed on my mind. Sooner or later, the FAN will find it, no matter how I try to steal away. The listener reaches a point of cutting off the rhetorical argument with Mr. Francesa when he realizes it's futile. MF is as much an act as anything. Don't yell at your radio. Get the scores and move on. When you stick around and listen to the host be the way he is, just remind yourself, "Hey, Mike Francesa is entitled to his stupid opinion, surely there's something else I can do until 6:20 this evening." Would be nice if blowhard wasn't the default hiring position on the frequencies where the Mets play.

Edgy DC Apr 13 2009 08:57 AM

And that last sentence is that key. Mike Francesa is entitled to his stupid opinion, but not entitled to airtime. I think, in lieu of a blog, I need to start an alternative online Mets radio station.

SteveJRogers Apr 13 2009 08:59 AM

="bmfc1":3bj6liwp]Francesa is the Bill O'Reilly of sports talk radio. I don't mean that as a complement.[/quote:3bj6liwp] Bill at least puts in the legwork that Francesa does not, and will gladly put the opposition on. Oh it gets into shouting matches, but he doesn't handwave opposing opinions and treat the opposition as beneath him. I'd respect O'Reilly as an authority on the things he speaks about more than I do Francesa. SteveJRogers Apr 13 2009 09:06 AM ="SteveJRogers":1ttjiboo] ="bmfc1":1ttjiboo]Francesa is the Bill O'Reilly of sports talk radio. I don't mean that as a complement.[/quote:1ttjiboo] Bill at least puts in the legwork that Francesa does not, and will gladly put the opposition on. Oh it gets into shouting matches, but he doesn't handwave opposing opinions and treat the opposition as beneath him. I'd respect O'Reilly as an authority on the things he speaks about more than I do Francesa.[/quote:1ttjiboo] A much apt comparison would be Keith Olbermann who's schtick is exactly what Francesa's is. "I'm better and smarter than you, and I will mock you only because I think, no, I KNOW I'm right and you are wrong! And I am going to do as little research as possible, because I got millions in the bank, and I am in an un-fireable position." That is so not how O'Reilly operates. TransMonk Apr 13 2009 09:16 AM ="SteveJRogers":3cgd8jcz]I'd respect O'Reilly as an authority on the things he speaks about...[/quote:3cgd8jcz] Someone who respects what any of these blowhards (Francesa, O'Reilly, Olbermann) say as an authority on anything other than entertainment and shock value needs to re-evaluate their views on reality. SteveJRogers Apr 13 2009 09:24 AM ="TransMonk":323a1z3p] Someone who respects what any of these blowhards (Francesa, O'Reilly, Olbermann) say as an authority on anything other than entertainment and shock value needs to re-evaluate their views on reality.[/quote:323a1z3p] O'Reilly is more of a reporter than Francesa (actually he has been getting better since loosing the Dog) and Olbermann ever were. Maybe you should watch instead of getting your info from haters on message boards and whatnot. batmagadanleadoff Apr 13 2009 09:33 AM I'm a fanatical Met fan and I never, ever, ever listen to Mike Francesca. G-Fafif Apr 13 2009 09:35 AM ="batmagadanleadoff":1ex6emip]I'm a fanatical Met fan and I never, ever, ever listen to Mike Francesca.[/quote:1ex6emip] But you shave with Gillette Foamy. TransMonk Apr 13 2009 09:35 AM WOW, Steve. I'm blown away by that comment. For someone who has posted many posts on the evils of how "the media" dupes the general public into believing one thing or another, you certainly seem to be drinking the O'Reilly koolaid. I don't need to be spoon fed opinion by talking heads. I'll check in every once in a while to see how much bullshit they are attempting to shovel. I've heard enough of O'Reilly to form my personal opinion that he is a moron and no more informative than a bag of hair. Weak. batmagadanleadoff Apr 13 2009 09:37 AM ="G-Fafif":130o63x3] ="batmagadanleadoff":130o63x3]I'm a fanatical Met fan and I never, ever, ever listen to Mike Francesca.[/quote:130o63x3] But you shave with Gillette Foamy.[/quote:130o63x3] I was going to get around to quizzing the forum on who the partial head (lower right avatar) belongs to. Any ideas? G-Fafif Apr 13 2009 09:40 AM Francesa by himself is not all powerful. It is that we invest his views or words with our anger/annoyance that makes him a bigger deal than he is. So for five hours a day he is presumptuous and dismissive of the Mets. Then he leaves. And with him goes his nonsense. It's a tough sell to myself sometimes, but I (any of us) only make(s) him bigger by pumping up his balloon. And that takes enough hot air as it is. G-Fafif Apr 13 2009 09:41 AM ="batmagadanleadoff":3288zbut] ="G-Fafif":3288zbut] ="batmagadanleadoff":3288zbut]I'm a fanatical Met fan and I never, ever, ever listen to Mike Francesca.[/quote:3288zbut] But you shave with Gillette Foamy.[/quote:3288zbut] I was going to get around to quizzing the forum on who the partial head (lower right avatar) belongs to. Any ideas?[/quote:3288zbut] There can only be three of those heads in Mets history, unless it's Harrelson's. (Boisclair?) batmagadanleadoff Apr 13 2009 09:43 AM ="G-Fafif":2o4o9ruz]It's a tough sell to myself sometimes, but I (any of us) only make(s) him bigger by pumping up his balloon. And that takes enough hot air as it is.[/quote:2o4o9ruz] You've got to blow hard to pump up that blowhard. SteveJRogers Apr 13 2009 09:43 AM ="G-Fafif":3dj8h2g0] ="batmagadanleadoff":3dj8h2g0] ="G-Fafif":3dj8h2g0] ="batmagadanleadoff":3dj8h2g0]I'm a fanatical Met fan and I never, ever, ever listen to Mike Francesca.[/quote:3dj8h2g0] But you shave with Gillette Foamy.[/quote:3dj8h2g0] I was going to get around to quizzing the forum on who the partial head (lower right avatar) belongs to. Any ideas?[/quote:3dj8h2g0] There can only be three of those heads in Mets history, unless it's Harrelson's. (Boisclair?)[/quote:3dj8h2g0] I'm apt to guess Kranepool. SteveJRogers Apr 13 2009 09:47 AM ="TransMonk":20ythqx8]I don't need to be spoon fed opinion by talking heads. I'll check in every once in a while to see how much bullshit they are attempting to shovel. I've heard enough of O'Reilly to form my personal opinion that he is a moron and no more informative than a bag of hair. Weak.[/quote:20ythqx8] My point is more that he comes from an investigative journalistic background, being on Inside Edition. Granted he doesn't have Shepard Smith's job or anything, nor did I say I'd put him IN the same category as Shepard Smith. My point was that it is easier to accept the "facts" that O'Reilly brings forth in his opinions, disagree or agree, since he does his homework, then it is on the other two ego-maniacs. Both of whom THINK they are journalists, but in realtiy they are nothing more than talking heads. TransMonk Apr 13 2009 09:55 AM Star Jones used to be on Inside Edition. Geraldo Rivera has an investigative journalist background. Everyone you see on cable news has an agenda whether it is hidden or not. I had always thought you understood this. Bill O'Reilly tailors his facts to support an agenda and/or increase his ratings. Either way, he is an entertainer and not a journalist. Just like Olbermann and Francesa. G-Fafif Apr 13 2009 09:55 AM ="SteveJRogers":j0sdws7b]I'm apt to guess Kranepool.[/quote:j0sdws7b] That we can see. BML's asking about the partial head. batmagadanleadoff Apr 13 2009 10:05 AM The partial head is no longer partial. <--------- TransMonk Apr 13 2009 10:06 AM Looks like a folded Bobby V. G-Fafif Apr 13 2009 10:07 AM Dreamy McMet? Edgy DC Apr 13 2009 10:12 AM Kirk Radomski. seawolf17 Apr 13 2009 10:14 AM We should all change our avatars to be different photos of Bobby Valentine. MFS62 Apr 13 2009 11:17 AM ="batmagadanleadoff":1ylrscgv]I'm a fanatical Met fan and I never, ever, ever listen to Mike Francesca.[/quote:1ylrscgv] And it could get worse. I read in one of the NYpapers last week that Max Kellerman might be Francessa'a new sidekick. http://www.cbssports.com/mcc/messages/chrono/13995936 If you don't know his work, Max is a very knowledgeable boxing guy, and a virulent Yankees fan. He used to taunt Mets fans on his ESPN radio show. Batmagadan, if this happens it will be just one more reason not to listen. Later John Cougar Lunchbucket Apr 13 2009 11:40 AM Kellerman is OK in my book. He's learned in the language of the intelligent fan, and it might be interesting to see how much old-school, counting-stat ignorance he could take from his idiotic co-host before a fight breaks out. OlerudOwned Apr 13 2009 11:49 AM Bill O'Reilly does some [url=http://gawker.com/5180520/oreilly-producer-indistinguishable-from-psycho-stalker:3byf6op8]fantastic[/url:3byf6op8] [url=http://gawker.com/5183262/how-it-feels-when-bill-oreilly-stalks-you:3byf6op8]reporting[/url:3byf6op8]. Between this and the Roger Craig thing, geez. Centerfield Apr 13 2009 12:09 PM ="SteveJRogers":3k5gyx3b] ="TransMonk":3k5gyx3b] Someone who respects what any of these blowhards (Francesa, O'Reilly, Olbermann) say as an authority on anything other than entertainment and shock value needs to re-evaluate their views on reality.[/quote:3k5gyx3b] O'Reilly is more of a reporter than Francesa (actually he has been getting better since loosing the Dog) and Olbermann ever were. Maybe you should watch instead of getting your info from haters on message boards and whatnot.[/quote:3k5gyx3b] Yes, that is correct. Stevie Jeets just told someone to spend less time on message boards. metsfanbook Apr 13 2009 07:17 PM For years I've been thinking that all I have to do is not listen to Francesa. And for years I've listened to Francesa because when I'm driving home from work, I would like to be entertained by listening to something that has something to do with baseball. For years I've despised Francesa but I was entertained because the Mike and the Mad Dog thing could be diverting, if not illuminating. Now that Francesa sits there alone in profoundly boring isolation, I am out of patience and this has led me to wonder if it was possible for WFAN to figure out that there would be a market for a thoughtful, fair, partisan pro-Mets radio host in the afternoon, somebody in the mold of Gary Cohen or Howie Rose. Unfair partisan programming can be fun when it's done with flair, style, and intelligence, and when you essentially agree with the host, which is why I'm a fan of Keith Olbermann, even though I acknowledge that he's an entertainer and not a journalist. I've listened to O'Reilly a few times and I think that he could actually learn some things from Francesa when it comes to manipulating difficult concepts, collecting and evaluating evidence, and constructing persuasive arguments. Still, fair, analytical partisan programming is, to me, even more entertaining than partisan noise. Isn't there somebody out there they could hire who could give us on talk radio something like what we get from the Mets broadcasters? Dana Brand Edgy DC Apr 13 2009 07:45 PM Welcome back, professor. metirish Apr 13 2009 08:38 PM I would urge you to call Francesa Dana but he would only hang up on you so don't. metsfanbook Apr 13 2009 09:14 PM I fantasize about calling Francesa and saying that I'm a long-time listener but not a fan. Hell, I have been listening to him ever since he replaced Pete Franklin twenty years ago. If I'm not a fan, how do I explain this? Like Greg says, WFAN is like Lojack. Benjamin Grimm Apr 14 2009 06:25 AM I quit WFAN four years ago, and never looked back. There's so much better stuff on the radio. For your own individual sanity, I urge you to stop listening. Edgy DC Apr 14 2009 07:11 AM Edited 1 time(s), most recently on Apr 14 2009 07:57 AM That's the thing. After a certain amount of time away, if you stumble back in, your thinking is, "How did I ever tolerate this insanity/" It's like coming back home to a fucked up family after a time away. You acknowledge and tolerate, and may even laugh in a detached way at some of their fucked-up antics, but you know you can never allow that to be part of your life again, and you can actually feel the pain leaving your body as you decompress afterwards. metsguyinmichigan Apr 14 2009 07:51 AM That's a neat blog, professor. I'll check back often and I'm looking forward to the book.